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Genre: Sports/sim

Format: iPod Game

Developer: Electronic Arts, Inc.

Minimum Requirements: 5G iPod (video), iPod Software v1.2, 31.5MB disc space

Price: $4.99

ESRB Rating: N/A

Availability: Now

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Sims invaded the iPod as well. They should just rename the franchise "Invasion of the Platform Snatchers." Every time I visit another household where someone's playing a Sims game, I go to the basement to search for pods.

Obviously, The Sims is far too complex to play on an iPod, so Electronic Arts has just taken a pool game and thrown the brand on top of it. Well, that's unfair, perhaps, as they have given some Sims attributes to it, but they seem to be more about justifying the branding than about contributing to gameplay.

You start off by creating your Sim, which entails selecting a face, a shirt, your hair color, etc. What does this have to do with the game? Very little, as you don't actually see your Sim holding his pool cue when playing. But it's the kind of thing Sims fans enjoy, so have at it.

Also true to the Sims genre, your player has aspirations beyond the pool hall. There's money to be made, and as money's made, you can get better pool equipment (fancier cues) to help you win games. And, of course, the more you win, the happier your Sim will be as he achieves his life goals and works his way up to being a pool shark.

You don't have to go this route if this isn't your thing. There's a Play Pool option that takes you right to the table without having to bother with putting on a shirt. Anything you do won't here won't affect the story line you're creating in the full story mode. If you're more about the pool than the plot line, this is where you'll be spending your time.

Regardless of how you get to the table, The Sims Pool really shines once you're there. Literally. The graphics are fantastic, rivaling those you'd see on the Nintendo DS, or even the Macintosh itself for this type of game. They're bright, they're crisp, and they're very colorful. The animation is quite smooth, but that shouldn't be hard to achieve considering it involves little more than a bunch of balls rolling around.

Using the iPod click wheel to play pool may seem a bit odd at first, but its quite well implemented and therefore pretty easy to get the hang of. You line up your shot by spinning your pool cue around the cue ball with the click wheel. You then click the center button of the iPod to confirm the angle, and this can lead to some trouble; if you don't pull your thumb straight off the click wheel, your angle can easily change a bit. This can get frustrating, but not enough that it screws up the game. Just realign and try again. Lines appear on the screen to let you know the direction the ball you're hitting will go, as well as the rebound of the cue ball (helping you avoid a scratch). If you like, you can shut this feature off.

After the angle is set, you can use the click wheel to put some "english" on the ball. This, of course, determines the amount of spin the cue ball will have. I can't comment either way on the physics of this, as I didn't really utilize it to its full advantage. As with real pool, I'm not good enough to worry about things like english and power and such; it's enough for me to worry about hitting the ball straight. Once you've determined the spin, a traditional sliding power meter appears so you can adjust how hard you hit the cue ball. Hit the center button again and hope for the best.

The abilities of your AI opponent will probably seem wildly inconsistent. In my very first game, he missed some fairly easy shots, and even hit in one of my balls. After I had acquired quite a lead, he suddenly sank five balls in a row to catch up, then missed a couple other easy shots to watch me win. Was I going to get hustled until my opponent took pity on me? I don't know. This is a Sims game, after all. The computer opponent's probably more worried about stealing my girlfriend or cleaning his kitchen than he is about playing pool.

There are two games you can play in The Sims Pool: eight ball and nine ball. There's also a trick shot challenge that'll help you test and improve your skills, and it's kind of fun after you've gotten pretty good at the game.

You're not stuck playing the computer, however. You can play other humans on a single iPod by passing it around. Unfortunately, there's no option for playing doubles should you have, you know, more real life friends than Sim friends. Perhaps that would be a hassle, anyway; passing around the iPod is one thing, but passing around headphones is quite another matter. Technically, you don't need sound to play this game, but the sound is so great I highly recommend you keep the headphones on. You can listen to your own music if you like, but I actually suggest shutting it off so you can more easily hear the pool hall ambient noises, which do a great job of pulling you into the game. Better yet, they're not so repetitive that you can hear the loop. Very well done, but that's the kind of thing you come to expect from Electronic Arts.

Remove The Sims from its name, and The Sims Pool is still a great pool sim. That it's this good on the iPod is very impressive, but not really surprising; Electronic Arts has made it quite clear they understand the iPod as a gaming platform, and what that should entail. The Sims tie-in isn't needed here, but I suppose it does add an interesting element for those who'd otherwise tired of just playing pool. And if pool is all you want, you can bypass the Sims elements. That makes this a great game for the iPod that would actually be a worthwhile purchase on any platform.

And that's a good thing, as it'll help keep your mind off those alien Sims pods in your basement.

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